Get ready for a long one :) This is another entry of emails between Walter and me. Hi Karen, Wow, you say a lot of very important things here! While I dont agree with much of your conclusion, I very much respect the careful process you have followed in arriving at these conclusions. Thanks for the links, too :) Ill just start a response by asking how you understand two Tanakh passages: First is Isaiah 53 (who is this person, and how was he wounded for our transgressions is verse 5?). Second is Isaiah 9:6,7 (who is this, and how is he Mighty God?). I dont always check my email daily, but try to every weekend. Hello I respect that you do not agree with my conclusions and I thank you again for being willing to have these discussions with me. I pray Gd leads us and we can learn together through these discussions. Isaiah 46: 5“With whom will you compare me or count me equal? To whom will you liken me that we may be compared? 8“Remember this, keep it in mind, take it to heart, you rebels. 9Remember the former things, those of long ago; I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me. 10I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say, ‘My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.’ 11From the east I summon a bird of prey; from a far-off land, a man to fulfill my purpose. What I have said, that I will bring about; what I have planned, that I will do. 12Listen to me, you stubborn-hearted, you who are now far from my righteousness. 13I am bringing my righteousness near, it is not far away; and my salvation will not be delayed. I will grant salvation to Zion, my splendor to Israel. I will start by saying I am very excited you have asked me about Isaiah. Isaiah is a truly remarkable book. In response to your question about Isaiah 53 I will start by saying that I have very recently read Isaiah twice all the way through from chapter one. I have also been looking at & studying sections of it. The key, I have discovered, to truly understanding scriptures is to read it many times without preconceived ideas. Simply reading the scriptures in context. It is of vital importance to read the chapters around the one being studied as well. Reading Isaiah in its entirety and in context reveals that Gd himself lets us know who the suffering servant is. Reading the chapters leading up to Isaiah 53 we see that Israel is named as the servant. I will only give you parts of scripture however I recommend reading these chapters. They are wonderful and often bring me to tears when I read them. Hashem is amazing! Sorry if it is a bit long. Isaiah 41: 8“But you, Israel, my servant, Jacob, whom I have chosen, you descendants of Abraham my friend, 9I took you from the ends of the earth, from its farthest corners I called you. I said, ‘You are my servant’; I have chosen you and have not rejected you. 10So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Isaiah 43 (suffering for sin/disobedience) 25I, even I, am He that blotteth out thy transgressions for Mine own sake; And thy sins I will not remember. 26Put Me in remembrance, let us plead together; Declare thou, that thou mayest be justified. 27Thy first father sinned, And thine intercessors have transgressed against Me. 28Therefore I have profaned the princes of the sanctuary, And I have given Jacob to condemnation, And Israel to reviling. Isaiah 44 1Yet now hear, O Jacob My servant, And Israel, whom I have chosen; 2Thus saith the LORD that made thee, And formed thee from the womb, who will help thee: Fear not, O Jacob My servant, And thou, Jeshurun, whom I have chosen. 3For I will pour water upon the thirsty land, And streams upon the dry ground; I will pour My spirit upon thy seed, And My blessing upon thine offspring; 4And they shall spring up among the grass, As willows by the watercourses. 5One shall say: ‘I am the LORD’S’; And another shall call himself by the name of Jacob; And another shall subscribe with his hand unto the LORD, And surname himself by the name of Israel. 6Thus saith the LORD, the King of Israel, And his Redeemer the LORD of hosts: I am the first, and I am the last, And beside Me there is no God. 7And who, as I, can proclaim—Let him declare it, and set it in order for Me—Since I appointed the ancient people? And the things that are coming, and that shall come to pass, let them declare. 8Fear ye not, neither be afraid; Have I not announced unto thee of old, and declared it? And ye are My witnesses. Is there a God beside Me? Yea, there is no Rock; I know not any. 21Remember these things, O Jacob, And Israel, for thou art My servant; I have formed thee, thou art Mine own servant; O Israel, thou shouldest not forget Me. 22I have blotted out, as a thick cloud, thy transgressions, And, as a cloud, thy sins; Return unto Me, for I have redeemed thee. Isaiah 45 4For the sake of Jacob My servant, And Israel Mine elect, I have called thee by thy name, I have surnamed thee, though thou hast not known Me. 5I am the LORD, and there is none else, Beside Me there is no God; I have girded thee, though thou hast not known Me; 6That they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, That there is none beside Me; I am the LORD; and there is none else; 7I form the light, and create darkness; I make peace, and create evil; I am the LORD, that doeth all these things. Isaiah 48 12Hearken unto Me, O Jacob, And Israel My called: I am He; I am the first, I also am the last. Isaiah 49 ( Israel Servant and despised of men) 3And He said unto me: ‘Thou art My servant, Israel, in whom I will be glorified.’ 4But I said: ‘I have laboured in vain, I have spent my strength for nought and vanity; Yet surely my right is with the LORD, And my recompense with my God.’ 5And now saith the LORD That formed me from the womb to be His servant, To bring Jacob back to Him, And that Israel be gathered unto Him— For I am honourable in the eyes of the LORD, And my God is become my strength— 6Yea, He saith: ‘It is too light a thing that thou shouldest be My servant To raise up the tribes of Jacob, And to restore the offspring of Israel; I will also give thee for a light of the nations, That My salvation may be unto the end of the earth.’ 7Thus saith the LORD, The Redeemer of Israel, his Holy One, To him who is despised of men, To him who is abhorred of nations, To a servant of rulers: Kings shall see and arise, Princes, and they shall prostrate themselves; Because of the LORD that is faithful, Even the Holy One of Israel, who hath chosen thee. Isaiah 51:17 on suffering Isaiah 52 Please read in entirety 12For ye shall not go out in haste, Neither shall ye go by flight; For the LORD will go before you, And the God of Israel will be your rearward. 13Behold, My servant shall prosper, He shall be exalted and lifted up, and shall be very high. 14According as many were appalled at thee—So marred was his visage unlike that of a man, And his form unlike that of the sons of men—15So shall he startle many nations, Kings shall shut their mouths because of him; For that which had not been told them shall they see, And that which they had not heard shall they perceive Isaiah 53 1‘Who would have believed our report? And to whom hath the arm of the LORD been revealed? 2For he shot up right forth as a sapling, And as a root out of a dry ground; He had no form nor comeliness, that we should look upon him, Nor beauty that we should delight in him. 3He was despised, and forsaken of men, A man of pains, and acquainted with disease, And as one from whom men hide their face: He was despised, and we esteemed him not. 4Surely our diseases he did bear, and our pains he carried; Whereas we did esteem him stricken, Smitten of God, and afflicted. Isaiah 54 4Fear not, for thou shalt not be ashamed. Neither be thou confounded, for thou shalt not be put to shame; For thou shalt forget the shame of thy youth, And the reproach of thy widowhood shalt thou remember no more. 5For thy Maker is thy husband, The LORD of hosts is His name; And the Holy One of Israel is thy Redeemer, The God of the whole earth shall He be called. 6For the LORD hath called thee As a wife forsaken and grieved in spirit; And a wife of youth, can she be rejected? Saith thy God. 7For a small moment have I forsaken thee; But with great compassion will I gather thee. 8In a little wrath I hid My face from thee for a moment; But with everlasting kindness will I have compassion on thee, Saith the LORD thy Redeemer. 9For this is as the waters of Noah unto Me; For as I have sworn that the waters of Noah Should no more go over the earth, So have I sworn that I would not be wroth with thee, Nor rebuke thee. 10For the mountains may depart, And the hills be removed; But My kindness shall not depart from thee, Neither shall My covenant of peace be removed, Saith the LORD that hath compasssion on thee. 11O thou afflicted, tossed with tempest, And not comforted, Behold, I will set thy stones in fair colours, And lay thy foundations with sapphires. Zechariah 1 4So the angel that communed with me said to me, Cry you, saying, Thus said the LORD of hosts; I am jealous for Jerusalem and for Zion with a great jealousy. 15And I am very sore displeased with the heathen that are at ease: for I was but a little displeased, and they helped forward the affliction. Gd has indeed been angry with Israel and has punished them for their disobedience. Yet Gd also loves Israel they are his chosen the apple of his eye. So Gd is also there to protect them. Gd promises his people that they will be restored to the land, the temple will be rebuilt, he will dwell among them, the cities will be rebuilt, there will be peace. Gd also says it is through Israel that all the earth will know that he is Gd and that he has redeemed Israel. This is why it says in Isaiah 49 and 52 that nations will be startled and Kings shut their mouths. People will be amazed when they see tiny Israel restored, redeemed, protected by mighty Hashem. It is through Israel, the light to the nations that the world will know Gd. It is not difficult to imagine Israel as the suffering servant. Has anyone been more hated, more persecuted and without reason than Israel? When I read Isaiah 52-54 I am deeply moved and sad at the same time thinking about the holocaust, the horrible treatment of Jewish people, their exiles from so many countries all over the world, all the countries that seek to destroy them and want their land. I could go on and on. Israel suffers for the iniquities and transgressions because it is through them that the world will witness with their own eyes the magnitude of Gd’s might and grace. Gd says in Ezekiel his house will be a house of prayer for all nations and people will come to bring offerings. Zechariah 8 20Thus said the LORD of hosts; It shall yet come to pass, that there shall come people, and the inhabitants of many cities: 21And the inhabitants of one city shall go to another, saying, Let us go speedily to pray before the LORD, and to seek the LORD of hosts: I will go also. 22Yes, many people and strong nations shall come to seek the LORD of hosts in Jerusalem, and to pray before the LORD. 23Thus said the LORD of hosts; In those days it shall come to pass, that ten men shall take hold out of all languages of the nations, even shall take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew, saying, We will go with you: for we have heard that God is with you. Now Isaiah 9 is equally interesting and is another that I have been studying. Below is the translation from Hebrew to English. Isaiah 9 (NET Bible) 6For a child has been born to us, a son has been given to us. He shoulders responsibility and is called: Extraordinary Strategist, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7His dominion will be vast and he will bring immeasurable prosperity. He will rule on David’s throne and over David’s kingdom, establishing it and strengthening it by promoting justice and fairness, from this time forward and forevermore. The Lord’s intense devotion to his people will accomplish this. I believe this is referring to the birth of King Hizkiyahu/Hezikiah. The name Hizkiyahu/Hezekiah Strong’s number 2396 is a combination of Chazaq and Yah. Chazaq 2388 means strong/mighty and Yah 3050 means Gd. Hizkiyahu’s Father was Ahaz strongs 271 he has grasped mother was Abiyah strongs 29 Yah is my Father Hizkiyahu ( 2 Kings 18-20, Isaiah 36-39 & 2 Chronicles 29-32) In 2 Chronicles 29-32 we are witness to the extraordinary accomplishments of King Hizkiyahu. 2 Chronicles 29 begins by telling us that Hizkiyahu did what was right in the eyes of Gd like his Father David. Hizkiyahu was constantly seeking Gd and serving him. Hizkiyahu cleansed Gd’s Temple and ordered the priests to sanctify themselves then restored Temple worship. Then proclaimed and celebrated Pesach/Passover which brought great rejoicing. Hizkiyahu destroyed all the idols and high places where the people were worshipping other gods. So that Gd alone would be worshipped. He ordered contributions to be given, first fruits and offerings to be brought to the house of Gd. Hizkiyahu also organized the priests. During Hizkiyahu’s Reign Gd also delivered Yerushalayim from Sennacherib King of Assyria by sending an angel that killed all the men (2 Kings 19) killing 185,000. So Hizkiyahu was rightly named according to all he did and all that Gd did through him for the people. Isaiah also served as prophet during the reign of King Hizkiyahu. I am sorry if I have made this so lengthy however I wanted to show the scriptures at least some of them pertaining to Isaiah 53 especially and Isaiah 9 so you can compare them on the same page. It is really best to read several chapters before and after the one being studied. I have been reading through all the prophets and studying some different topics. I am in the process of putting together notes and things to make a detailed study about Ezekiel. It has proved to be a most interesting study and I have come to realize that it would be of value to many people. My question to you is this. Where in scripture Tanakh/OT does it say the messiah will die for sins? Thank you again for these discussions. I look forward to your response.
Posted on: Tue, 26 Aug 2014 06:57:31 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015